The blog that Councillor Daniel Thomas doesn't want you to read

On his blog Councillor Thomas lets us know his rather interesting views on all manner of issues. With the Mayoral Elections approaching in London, I was intrigued to see that one of the more interesting blogs on the site had disappeared. We can but speculate as to why it's been deleted. Could it be that the Conservatives are a little bit sensitive right now?

We are sure that voters will be keen to know Councillor Thomas views on the subject of immigration. He has thus far refused to reveal his position on the EU referendum. We hope that by reprinting his blog, it will help inform voters in Barnet and Camden as to where the esteemed deputy leader stands on the issue. Here is what he had to say for himself and what he is keen that we can no longer see.

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By Councillor Daniel Thomas

Immigration: like the NHS it’s a taboo topic which is difficult
to discuss calmly and rationally. If you’re against immigration, you
may be suspected of being a ‘Little Englander’ racist. If you’re in favour, you
risk being labelled a hater of the UK determined to water down the
‘native’ population and flood the country with Labour voting foreigners.

We all know it’s more complicated than that but the worship of
political correctness has caused debate to be less free and open as it should
be. Sometimes, politicians try to boil it down to simplicities.
Barack Obama’s recent statement that only Native Americans have the right to
object to immigration was a wonderful strike against the descendants of
immigrants who oppose immigration.

But his simple statement, which conjures up images of harshly
treated native tribes, ignores what’s happening in the US now and
what the impact of immigration means to ordinary people regardless of their
ancestry. My great grandfather was a Cherokee (he was
a US soldier when he met my great grandmother). I just
can’t see him sitting on his veranda in Pulaski complaining about past
European immigration while enjoying a Jack Daniels (created by a man of mixed
Welsh, Irish, Scot and English descent) and eating a
typical Tennessee meal of European, African and Native American
influence.

If, however, his town was flooded with immigrants willing to
work for a lot less than him thus forcing down his pay or putting him out of
work, I’m sure he would have a lot to say, regardless of the immigrants’
legality or ethnicity.

The US is a much younger nation than
the UK and evoking old rivalries can still stir emotion
however unrelated the comparison is. Imagine the reaction if
a UK prime minister said only the Celts are allowed to be annoyed
about immigration here!

Obama's comments completely sidestep what it is about
immigration which upsets people. It has economic consequences which
affects, annoys and threatens citizens of the host nation. There
will always be some who simply object to those of different ethnicity coming
here but, thankfully, they are a very small minority and have forgotten two simple
facts: most come from countries we went to as conqueror or peaceful
occupier; and these members of the old empire helped us win two world wars.

Immigration today is about jobs and wages. It’s about
pressures on local services: schools, the NHS and housing. It’s
partly about integration but most immigrants, particularly those
from Europe, integrate well. With an ageing population we need young,
aspiring and tax paying immigrants who will settle here and not send their
earnings to their home country. But it needs to be controlled,
something our membership of the EU prevents. Without the control,
it’s difficult to manage so when it comes to providing services, we react more
than we can plan.

Americans of all ethnic backgrounds have the
right to be concerned about immigration as do all British
citizens. Conservatives are right to want to limit immigration; a
limit on numbers influenced by skill type and other criteria makes
sense. We could then match immigration against skill deficit having
done our utmost to give jobs to the unemployed (which in itself is another
debate).

What appears to be a free-for-all at the
moment can’t continue. Only by negotiating with the EU to fully take control of
our borders will we begin to have a sensible immigration policy. If
we can’t achieve that, we should leave.

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About Me

Dyslexic punk rock guitarist, studio owner and author Barnet Eye blog, proprieter of Mill Hill Music Complex Studios. Born and raised in the London Borough of Barnet. Loves loud music, beer,curry and football and occasionally strings two coherent sentences together.
Prospective Lib Dem Candidate for Mill Hill Ward.
This blog is written and published by Roger Tichborne, 29 Millway, London, NW7 3QS

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I believe that it is a scandal that this service calls itself independent, but there is no right of appeal and it's run by one of the train operators. I believe that the penalty ticket scheme is a scam to generate extra profits for these companies.

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I've added an IP address lookup tool. If you get an email or you have a stats counter on your blog, you can see who it is and where they came from using this. If you've got an email from someone, view the email. Click on File, then click on properties, then click on details. Now click on message source

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